The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-18
HOW THE CHINESE FIGHT
The Strange Military Methods and
Customs of the Celestial Warriors.
tenant Graydon's Introduction of
Torpedoes in Chinese Waters.

a
porter yesterday as to the military establish
ment in that country. 'The biblical quotation
'as terrible army with banners" said the
Lieutenant, 'could apply with special force to
China ate dinner one day while was there
with the viceroy Of the province of Canton. He
asked me during the repast what would recon-
mend for tho bettermcnt OF his army Out OF
every SET of tours three men carry flags and only
one a gun. That's fact: | told him through
the Interpreter i would take away the flags, ex-
cept one for every thousand men, and each even
ing at dress parade and each morning would
have them kneel down and swear to defend that
one dag, that could recommend him to put
peatinR rifles in the hands Of all the men who
had formerly carried flags. and that Lieutenant
Graydon have the contract for furnishing the
rifles My su9gestion,tckl The vceroy greatly.
The Black Flags in Tonquin, of whom you
heard SO much awhile ago. carry large black
flags with Chinese character in white letters
In the center, indicating the section of country
they come FROM
listener was of opinion that il was a
cheerful circumstance that the late confeder-
ates were not well provided with banners as
the Chinese. Otherwise the Cleveland order for
the return Of captured bunting would have Gre
eted even more indignation.
The Lieutenant laughed at this suggestion, and
continued: 1.-THE Chinese on the Canton river
have s12, 000 600 invested in the best Krupp
guns mounted in their forts. They are begin
ming 20 pick up in the of artillery. They
have foreigners chiefly Europeans. as instruct
ors, and they quick to learn. The vic eroy of
a proviuceis about the same in the nation rela-
lively as to rank an Governor of one of our
Etates TO the general government of the United
Sntes. But the viceroy is great potentate.
He has his own army and navy The Chinese.
in addition to Krupp guns, have men-of-war
better than in the United States navy.
The uniform OF the Chinese soldier would
hardly be considered military in any civilized
country. II is a loose costume. much like the
Chinese in this country, except
that the symbol that represents the body of
troops which the individual soldier belongs
is placed on the front of the tunc and the
back SO that the badge Of the brigade to which
they belong can be seen whether they advance
or retreat Officers wear the same badge and
the same kind OF costume except that it is
made of silk and is very gorgeous. The guns
carried by the Chinese are Remin gton's Spring
fields, the Manser, German rife. and some of
the Berdan rifles, the same used by the Rus
slams They are all mixed up as to small arms
They have battery of Calling guns for each
brigade and these Cuttings they make them
selves. Years ago Mr.. Calling sent an agent to
China with two pieces to make contracts. The
Chinese insisted on buying those
two pieces aud the agent sold
them. They never wanted to buy any more.
Those initiative people with those two models
SO injudiciousy disposed of by Mr. Gatlings
agent have fully supplied themselves. Every
two Gatlings on his craft and they good
the sample. They are not yet equal to making
shell cartridges however. All the forts on the
Canton river as / said, have Krupp guns and
.hey paid well for them They have them
from twenty-to pieces up to seventy tons. The
Chinese, when properly armed and instructed,
will make very good soldiers.
1.-THE viceroy, after mad dispatched dinner,
gave what he considered great treat Three
men were to be executed and he invited me and
another guest to go with him the execu-
tion We carried to the place where the
poor wretches were to be disposed Of in sedan
chairs When we came to the inclosure we
found three posts about twenty feet apart and
at each post was one of the men to be executed.
Each miserable ChInaman was kneeling with his
queue nailed or tied to the post high above his
head, while in his mouth he had pipe filled
with tobacco at which he putting
away with awful energy. Each of us, the vice.
roy, and his two guests. seated in front
of one of these poor fellows. / opposite the
first one to be executed as it proved. The exc
cutioner came along and showed to the crimi-
malls three swords Of strange form and each
sharp as a razor. One was shaped much like
butchers cleaver, with larger blade and a
handle long enough for two hands Another
was of q half-moon shape and also with long
handle, while the third looked somewhat like
saw, having a tooth-like edge. The men to be
decapitated were. It seems. to De allowed
Two of them chose the cleaver-lke blade and the !
other the half moon, none OF them desiring the |
saw-edeed knife. The executioner, picking up
the chosen weapon looked at the viceroy. who
Rrunted something, and then quickly swung the |
blade in the air. The culprit was putting away |
his pipe with might and main. He received |
the stroke without hnching. and ae his head came
off it left dangling by the cue against |
the post The blood spurted almost to my feet 4
1t was a most sickeninR sight, but was curious |
to the effect the other victims. They |
never winked, and smoked to the last Indeed, |
smoke curled out OF the mouth o. one of the |
heads after it detached from its trunk. I |
felt extremely squeamish but the sviceroy con- |
templated the execution with immense satisfac-
ticn and doubtless thought in his hospitality /
that he was affordng me great treat. The |
men executed were soldiers and their crime was |
theft China has between three and four million |
of soldiers was told. When the Chinese soldier |
finds out that he can kill an enemy at a long dis
tance well as a foreigner, the Celestial empire
will become dangerous military power China
could overrun Europe with soldiers. To give an |
idea of the immense population of that empire |
there are fifty millions OF people, nearly as great
population as we have ir the United States,
who live in boats upon the rivers.
1.-THE Chinese navy is coming on. They have
bought OF Europeans thirtyfour gun-boats
armed with modern riied guns-Whitworths,
Armstrong; and krupps. Ic is called the AL |
phabet' fleet. as each vessel is named after let
ter in the Chinese alphabet. AS that alphabet
has about six hundred letters. they are going.
when IL is filled up. to have very respectable
number OF iron-clads They do not make al
good sailors az the Japanese. The latter are
pucky little fellows and naturally maritime.
Yet there are great possibilities in the China
man.
'You can have idea Of the thickly popu-
lated country by this: One day went upon
hill outside of the city of Canton and there
within n radius of twenty miles / saw si~ vii
lagos they call them villages) each CONTAINING
about half million people. On my 6rst Grip
up the river. seventeen miles to Shanghs., I
saw great lot OF haystacks, as thought They
were all along the route and so numerous mat
called the attention of gentleman to them.
10 vnu aaka d ra
they going to do with all that hayr He laughed
and told me those wsre Chinese burial places.
They are earthen mounds and the grass upon
the appearance Of hay stacks. They are family
mounds. and when mem Der of u family dies q
hole 10 dug in the side and he is stuck in with
his ancestors They are so plentiful thew gave
trouble some years ago when English engineers
ran railroad through many OF them